AMERICAN ANGUS ASSOCIATION - THE BUSINESS BREED

Member Services

Our mission is to provide programs, services, technology and leadership to enhance the genetics of the Angus breed, broaden its influence within the beef industry, and expand the market for superior tasting, high-quality Angus beef worldwide.

Management

The Angus breed is home to the industry’s largest beef cattle performance database, fueling genetic progress through each generation. Breeders rely on the comprehensive set of data to continue growing the nation’s quality beef supply.

Marketing

Angus Media provides unrivaled marketing opportunities for cattle producers with Association programs that allow breeders to set their calves apart from the crowd.

Sales

Registered-Angus cattle continue to set the industry pace for quality genetics. Demand remains strong year after year, as reflected by strong sales trends and an increase in Angus cattle on the market.

Events

Continued education is central to driving progress within the beef cattle industry. Through Association events, connect with fellow breeders and discover applications that make a real difference on the farm or ranch.

Shop

The American Angus Association store features both high quality, yet attractively affordable apparel and home décor. Items were personally curated to fit the aesthetic of any hardworking, yet stylish ranch lifestyle. Proceeds directly benefit the Angus Foundation and its mission of youth, education, and research.

The Pathfinder Angus program was started in 1978 in an effort to identify superior cows in the breed based on their records of performance from Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR). In identifying these superior cows, emphasis was placed on early puberty, breeding and early calving, followed by regularity of calving and above-average performance of the offspring.

While outstanding cows can be identified after their first or second calves, the Pathfinder Report requires a minimum of three calves from a cow to determine her regularity of calving and ability to produce superior calves for weaning weight year after year. In addition, an important part of the report is the list of bulls that have sired five or more qualifying females.

The Angus Pathfinder Report identifies cows that have excelled in production based on AHIR records of performance. To qualify for the report, a cow must have produced a calf measured through AHIR in the past 18 months.

In addition, bulls that have sired a minimum of five or more Pathfinder Cows are listed as Pathfinder Sires in this report.

Important Dates

Data submission: January 31, 2019 -
All data on females must be received by end of business day on 1/31/2019 to be eligible
for 2019 Pathfinder Status.

2019 Pathfinder Release: February 6, 2019

Stress Breed Advantages

The program identifies Pathfinder Cows in herds actively involved in AHIR. First, the female must produce her first calf near the herd's average age for first calving. More specifically, the maximum age accepted for first calving of a Pathfinder Cow is the within-herd average for first calving plus 30 days. The within-herd average is determined separately for each herd on AHIR.

As a second criteria, the Pathfinder Cow must maintain a regular calving interval. The maximum calving interval is:

Next, to qualify initially, her first three calves must post a minimum average progeny weaning weight ratio of
105. Should she fail to do this on her first three calves, she can qualify later by achieving an average progeny
weaning weight ratio of 105, provided she meets the other requirements. A minimum of 5 herdmates or contemporaries
of the same sex must be evaluated together each year to determine the weight ratio. Additionally, her calves
must be sired by registered Angus bulls. To continue to qualify each consecutive year, the cow must produce
regularly and wean a calf that helps maintain the average weaning ratio of 105 or above. It is pointed out that once a cow
is designated a Pathfinder, she is always a Pathfinder, even though she might not qualify for listing each year.

Annual Report

Pathfinder Report is published each spring online and printed copies are
available upon request.
Outstanding females and bulls are listed in the report and, more importantly, the
breeders who are keeping AHIR records of performance are identified as owners of
Pathfinder Cows and Pathfinder Sires.

Studying the Pathfinder Report is fairly simple. An effort has been made to list
important information about the Pathfinder Cow, her owner and the performance information
that has qualified her as a top female. The cows are listed by owner in alphabetical
order. All qualifying cows in a herd are listed following the owner's name. At the end of the report is a list of bulls that have sired
five or more Pathfinder Cows. A sire that qualifies with five or more daughters becomes a Pathfinder Sire.

Angus breeders who have qualifying cows in the report are listed in alphabetical
order. All cows in a herd that qualify are reported following the owner's name.

The qualifying Pathfinder Cow is listed along with her registration number and the
number of calves she has produced with the average weaning weight ratio of calves.
In some situations, AHIR information from two or more herds are used in determining
a Pathfinder status. This situation occurs when cows are transferred from one AHIR
performance herd to another.

Important Dates

Data submission: January 31, 2019 -
All data on females must be received by end of business day on 1/31/2019 to be eligible
for 2019 Pathfinder Status.

The American Angus Association is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving more than 25,000 members across the United States, Canada and several other countries. It’s home to an extensive breed registry that grows by nearly 300,000 animals each year.